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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26488714">Isolation Blues</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye'>SaraJaye</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>All-of-a-Kind Family Series - Sydney Taylor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Boredom, Cake, Cocoa and Sympathy, Comfort No Hurt, Family, Gen, Loneliness, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Quarantine, scarlet fever</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:21:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,486</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26488714</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Perhaps being immune to scarlet fever would be better if she were an only child. But Henny had four sick sisters and a doctor who said it was too dangerous for her to leave the house no matter how well she was.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mama &amp; Henny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Ladies Bingo 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Isolation Blues</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was positively going to go crazy. The others were getting better day by day, Sarah's rash had faded completely and Charlotte's fever had finally gone down. Doctor Fuchs even said if they kept improving the sign would be gone from their house in just weeks. But when Henny asked if she could start going outside to see her friends again, he told her no.</p>
<p>"It's too risky. You're not susceptible to the illness, but that's extremely rare," he said. "You don't want to infect your friends, do you?" Of course she didn't, but what if it was a friend who already had it? Surely that would be safe, but both Mama and Doctor Fuchs refused to budge.</p>
<p>So here she was, almost at the end of the month, still trapped in the house.</p>
<p>"Can't I just go to the candy store? Please?" she begged as Mama hung the wet laundry up to dry. Mama shook her head.</p>
<p>"You're to stay inside, Henny. It's too-"</p>
<p>"I know, it's too risky, I could make everyone else sick even though I'm not and I've had a bath every day this week!" Henny cried. "What if I wore a scarf around my face so I didn't breathe on anyone?" Mama pressed her lips together, Henny foolishly letting herself the answer might be yes until Mama shook her head, returning her attention to hanging Papa's shirts.</p>
<p>"Even if you washed, covered your face, and didn't stay long, there's always that very small chance you could infect someone else. I'd just as soon you not take that chance," she said firmly. "Between your exposure to the disease and you walking into my bedroom at least twice a day to visit your sisters, you're likely covered in germs that even baths can't fully remove. You're not go outside until the doctor says it's okay, and that's final. Now sit."</p>
<p>If it weren't for her sisters napping in the bedroom, Henny would have screamed and stomped her foot as loudly as she could. No seeing friends, no candy store, no library, even not being allowed to go to school was no longer worth this isolation. All she'd done the entire month was sit quietly at home, forcing her way through the homework her teacher had sent to the house and listening to the rest of the neighborhood enjoy life without her.</p>
<p>"What's the point of being healthy if I can't do anything with it?!" she exploded, once again remembering her sisters as she forced herself not to kick the chair over. She didn't sit, though, because Mama had told her to sit and she was in no mood to do what she was told. "And don't say I can do homework or chores, either, I'm sick of them!"</p>
<p>"Now, Henny-"</p>
<p>"I'm sick of my whole life being put on hold because of stupid scarlet fever! I can't even sit outside on the front steps." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Everyone else is going out and having a good time and I'm not allowed to do anything. I feel like the whole world's passing me by and by the time I'm allowed out of the house again all my friends will have forgotten me!"</p>
<p>She hadn't even realized that was bothering her until she said it, but now that she had that was her biggest fear. Oh, she was sure her friends missed her at first, murmured about how poor Henny was missing all the fun as they sat on the steps with a bag of jelly beans and their library books. But by now they'd probably moved on. Why should they waste time pitying her when they could be talking about anything else?</p>
<p>She plunked down in the chair at last, folded arms on the table, burying her face in them so Mama wouldn't see the tears forming in her eyes.</p>
<p>"It's just so <i>lonely</i> here."</p>
<p>"Henny." Mama put a hand on her shoulder. "You know very well you're not all alone in this house. Your papa and I are here for you to talk to anytime you want."</p>
<p>"It's not the same," Henny muttered. "I can't play with you the way I can with my friends, or with the other girls. We can't talk about the same things, housework is so dreadfully boring, and Papa can't even go to the shop these days." She lifted her head, but wouldn't look at Mama. "Why, even Passover was no fun besides stealing the afikomen!"</p>
<p>Mama patted the back of her head, then walked away. Moments later she heard water boiling, then smelled the familiar sweetness of the hot cocoa Mama made them for breakfast on cold mornings. She brought the mugs over to the table, with two thick slices of honey cake, and placed one of each in front of Henny.</p>
<p>"I could very easily give you a little talk about how we can't always have what we want in life, and that you need to accept it," Mama said, "but something tells me you don't want to hear it." Henny snorted, breaking off a piece of cake and popping it into her mouth.</p>
<p>"I <i>do</i> understand it. I'm not that smart, but I <i>am</i> ten years old. Halfway to being a grownup!" she said. "But knowing something doesn't make me like it better!"</p>
<p>"But not liking it doesn't change facts," Mama said gently. "I'm sorry, Henny, but until the doctor says otherwise, you're to stay inside. You'll simply need to find other ways to entertain yourself." Henny sighed, gripping the handle of her cocoa cup and taking a long sip.</p>
<p>"I <i>know.</i>"</p>
<p>"That said, I do understand your point of view better than you think." Mama smiled. "When your uncle Hyman and I were children, we both fell sick with the measles and missed two whole weeks of school. We weren't allowed to leave our beds for anything, even once we felt better. I recovered a bit sooner than Hyman, but my Mama and Papa still made me stay home," she said. "I was only allowed to read, play with my dolls, and do puzzles for five more days before Hyman was all better and the doctor said we could both go outside again. By that time, it felt like I'd missed so much more than just three weeks. I was surprised my friends even remembered who I was!" Henny paused in the middle of a bite of cake.</p>
<p>"Mama, you don't think-"</p>
<p>"Henny, your friends could never forget you in a million years." Mama patted her hand. "But back to my story. I didn't like being trapped inside, but it did not last forever. And neither will this. Your sisters are almost fully healed, and I'm sure it won't be long until Doctor Fuchs declares this quarantine over."</p>
<p>Henny managed a tiny smile, taking another sip of her drink.</p>
<p>"I suppose my being immune to the disease would be more of a blessing if-" She cut herself off, never in her life had she ever wished to be an only child and to do so now would be the worst possible thing. But Mama only laughed as she collected a few cake crumbs with her fork.</p>
<p>"I felt the same way when I recovered faster than your brother," she said. Henny blushed, shoving the last of her cake into her mouth and chewing quickly.</p>
<p>"How did you know?" she asked once she swallowed.</p>
<p>"Because I'm your mother and I know each of my girls better than I know the back of my hand," Mama said with a wink. "I also know you don't mean what you were thinking. Even if you hate to do chores, you've been a great help taking care of your sisters in the last week."</p>
<p>"I just want them to get better so we can play together again," Henny admitted. "I know, that's selfish."</p>
<p>"Not selfish," Mama assured her. "You're just lonely. I do understand that your papa and I aren't the same as playing with people your own age."</p>
<p>"You're not. But..." Henny sighed. "I was too harsh. You're here to talk to, and I shouldn't take you for granted." She stared into the near-empty cocoa cup, and Mama squeezed her hand.</p>
<p>"Until this is over, you and your Papa and I can find things to do together while your sisters are resting. After supper, let's make a list." Henny smiled.</p>
<p>"I'd like that." None of whatever they put on the list would be a trip to the candy store or the library, but maybe Mama was right about finding other ways to have fun. And maybe she'd find new things to keep in mind for the next rainy day, things the other girls could take part in, too.</p>
<p>
  <i>And this will all be over soon. Maybe tonight I'll write letters to Fanny and the others, just to make sure they don't forget about me.</i>
</p>
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